Vancouver Giants seize 'inventive, dynamic' Czech ahead with Import Draft selection

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The Vancouver Giants took 17-year-old Czech ahead Adam Titlbach with their first decide, No. 21 total, in Wednesday’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

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Giants common supervisor Barclay Parneta pegged the 5-foot-8, 150-pound left-shot Titlbach as a “inventive, dynamic, thrilling participant.”

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Giants brass obtained to see him dwell when he was a part of Group Czechia on the World Below-17 Hockey Problem that befell final November on the Langley Occasions Centre, which is the Giants’ dwelling rink. There have been additionally video games at Sungod Area in North Delta.

He led Czechia with seven factors (3-4) in six video games.

Your complete CHL Import Draft may be discovered right here.

Titlbach is a consumer of The Sports activities Company, the Edmonton-based participant illustration firm led by agent Gerry Johannson and that includes former Giants GM Scott Bonner. The import draft is predicated as a lot on relationships with brokers and getting gamers to return to North America as it’s about choosing out there gamers so as of their expertise.

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Present Giants ahead Samuel Honzek, who’s a Slovak, is a Sports activities Corp. consumer. Czech agent David Hamill introduced him to Sport Corp., as he did with Titlbach. Former Vancouver Euros like Andrej Meszaros, Marek Schwarz, Michal Repik and Mario Bliznak had been Sports activities Corp. shoppers.

Bonner tabbed Titlbach as a “actually expert RW.”

Titlbach performed final season for each the U-20 and U-17 junior groups in Plzeň, Czech Republic. He registered 13 objectives and 7 assists for 20 factors in simply 12 video games for HC Plzeň U-17 and produced 11 objectives and 20 assists for 31 factors in 34 video games for HC Plzeň U-20. Titlbach had a really productive playoffs, scoring 14 objectives and including 14 assists for 28 factors in simply 14 video games for HC Plzeň U-17.

Groups are permitted two Europeans on their roster. Titlbach takes the place of Swedish goalie Jesper Vikman, who graduated on the finish of final season after two years with the Giants.

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Since Honzek was a first-round NHL decide by the Calgary Flames final week, the Giants obtained a second Euro decide, at No. 81.

They handed on it. Selecting one other Euro would have given them cowl in case Honzek sticks with the Flames as a 19-year-old, however by the league guidelines say you may’t commerce gamers picked on this yr’s Euro draft till Dec. 1. They’d have needed to launch one among their two picks outright when Honzek was reassigned to the Giants, which is more likely to occur earlier than that Dec. 1 cutoff. Leaving a participant scrambling for an additional workforce halfway by the season would have harm their future recruiting efforts.

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